User manuals are physically written guides (on paper) or electronic documents (PDF or XPS) that provide instructions on how to do or use something. Although "user guides" are most commonly understood to be related to computer software, user manuals are also attached to computers or other electronic devices such as TVs, stereos, telephones and MP3 players, as well as household appliances and equipment. garden. A good user manual informs users about the functionality of the product, also teaching their respective operations in an effective and easily accessible way. Below are the elements to consider in creating effective content and in the layout of a user manual.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Create Documentation Suitable for the User
Step 1. Define the reference user
To write a successful manual, you need to profile your user, be it formal, creating a written profile, or informal, taking the time to make reasonable assumptions about your user characteristics. Such a profile is useful when you are part of a team intent on writing user documentation and can also be useful in the process that takes the product from idea to final shape. When drafting a user profile, the elements to consider include:
- Where users will use the manual, at home, in the office, in a remote workplace or in the car. This could affect not only the content, but also the style of the manual.
- How users will use the guide. If it will be necessary to consult the manual only infrequently or to search for information, it should above all take the form of a reference document. If it is something that users will initially consult frequently, the reference section should be accompanied by a 'Getting Started' section and instructions on the most common uses of the product.
- How much experience users already have with the product or others in the same category. If your product is new or with material differences from similar products, you will need to include an explanation of these differences, as well as instructions on how to start using it. If the product addresses something that users often have trouble with, such as many computer applications, you will need to provide adequate information and details in an understandable style.
Step 2. Address your user's needs so they can understand
Unless the user has technical experience, it will probably be better to avoid specific terminologies, preferring clear and simple explanations. The text should also be organized in such a way as to accommodate the reasoning of the users; listing product features by grouping them according to their functions often makes more sense than the more commonly used orders in lists.
Sometimes there is no way around technical terms, such as with charting software that includes Fibonacci tables along with more common pie and bar charts. In similar cases, it is useful to define the term and provide an explanation, for example by deepening the definition and usefulness in the financial analysis of the Fibonacci tables
Step 3. Explain the problem the user is trying to solve, then present the solution
Providing only the solution to a generic problem works in the sales phase of the product, but once the user has bought it, he must understand how to use it in the best way. Identify specific problems that the user will encounter, state them in the user guide and then go to the instructions to solve them.
If the problem is a complex one, break it down into smaller parts. List each part with instructions on how to solve or deal with it, and then arrange them in succession. This process is known as "chunking"
Part 2 of 3: Elements of a User Manual
Step 1. Include the appropriate cover and title pages
You will need a cover for each user guide, which consists of more than a simple reference card, and cover pages for manuals that are longer than a folded sheet of paper (4 or more pages long).
- If the manual is copyrighted, it must be specified on both the cover and title page.
- If you have to report the terms and conditions for the use of the manual and the related product, you must insert them on the inside of the cover.
Step 2. Insert references to linked documents in the introduction
If the user documentation covers more than one volume, please provide here the references to the other documents, with the correct versions. The introduction is also the part in which to insert the section "How to use this guide", if necessary.
Step 3. Include a table of contents, in case the manual exceeds 10 pages
Step 4. Place the instructions / methods and reference materials in the central body of the manual
In many cases, the methods and reference materials should each have their own section, although you can always tell the user to refer to specific content from one section to another. In this way, the user can find the information he is looking for faster.
- Methods should be written consistently throughout the instruction section of the manual. Start from an overview of the task, then describe what the user must do and what results he should get. The passages should be numbered and begin with action verbs, as well as the passages of each section of this article.
- Reference materials may include a list of options, tips, and frequently asked questions. Glossaries and appendices can be added towards the end of the manual, although a list of the most used terms may appear at the beginning. The index can be omitted if the manual has fewer than 20 pages.
Step 5. Use graphics if you need to support the text
The graphics, or screenshots, can illustrate certain points in the manual better than the text, especially within complex procedures where users need visual confirmation of the correctness of the execution. The graphics can be produced using CAD programs or graphics software, digital editing and digital cameras, or in the case of screens, through the function incorporated in the computer ("stamp" / cmd + shift + 3) or a graphics program that provides screen recording option.
- Once the graphics have been created, save it in a compressed format so that it can be used in writing or publishing programs. You will also want to reduce the size of the file to facilitate its inclusion on the page without reducing the details for the user (if necessary, you may have to break down the original image and show the relevant parts as you proceed with the text).
- If you are using numerous graphics in your methods, maintain consistency in size, whether they are all the same length and width or always reduced in the same proportion to their original size. This will make the images more inviting for the user. Likewise, when saving screenshots to a computer, make sure the computer is set to a standard color during this step, in case the manual needs to retain these colors.
- Although graphics programs like Photoshop and Paint Shop Pro offer good screen saving possibilities, specific programs like SnagIt also allow you to easily edit, catalog, and pin screens.
Part 3 of 3: Designing a Readable Manual
Step 1. Choose a couple of readable fonts
Although computers can support many different fonts, the goal of a user manual is easy readability. Choosing a few well-matched fonts is the best way to achieve this goal. There are 2 categories of fonts: “serif” and “sans serif” (with or without thanks).
- The serif fonts have small endings at the end of the main strokes of the letters. Serif fonts include Times New Roman, Baskerville, and Book Antiqua. The serifs work best in large text blocks of size 10-12 in the central body of a printed user manual.
- Sans serif fonts exhibit only the strokes that form the letters without endings. Sans serifs include Arial, Calibri and Century Gothic. These fonts can be used for large 8-10 size blocks of text in an online manual or PDF, although the lack of endings makes 12+ large sentences harder to read. However, they can be used effectively at larger sizes to display headings and headings, and are equally suitable in smaller formats for footers and numbers in columns or tables.
- You should generally choose neutral fonts such as Arial or Times New Roman for your user manual, although it is better to lean towards a decorative font in the case of quotes or titles, if you are writing for example for a video game with fantasy or science fiction settings (in in case of extracts from the same text, you can often use the same font, in “italic” format).
- Once you have chosen the fonts you will use, create a test page to verify that the fonts fit together well on paper. It will also be appropriate to show this proof to anyone who has to approve the appearance of the manual before proceeding.
Step 2. Think about the layout
Once you have chosen the fonts for your user manual, you have to decide on the positioning of the various elements of the pages.
- Typically, you will want to put the title of the manual or chapter in the header or at the bottom of the page, possibly using the title of the manual on the left page and that of the chapter on the right. Page numbers should be above or below, outwards (header or footer) or in the center (footer only). You may want to distinguish the first page of each section or chapter from the others by placing its page number in the center and the subsequent ones in the outer corner of the header.
- You may want to recall parts of the text in colored or shaded boxes, to separate them from the rest of the text. Make sure you choose a color or degree of gradient that doesn't overlap the text.
- Leave reasonably wide margins on all sides, with sufficient space on the edges that will be bound to each other.
Step 3. Consider the type of binding of the user manual
If your manual has more than 4 pages, these will need to be bound in some way. Although the internal documents can be stapled together at one corner, the external manuals delivered with the product are usually bound in one of these 3 ways:
- The side clips are suitable for manuals composed of folded sheets of paper of 21x27.5cm, 21x35cm or 27.5x42.5cm. Most budget manuals with less than 48 pages are bound this way.
- Side seam is more commonly used for external reference guides rather than user manuals attached to non-automotive products, although some longer guides are bound this way (Paint Shop Pro originally shipped with a seam-bound guide, when it was produced by JASC Software).
- The spiral binding is suitable for use guides designed to be more robust, such as for outdoor environments, where stapled or stitched manuals would not resist. Some spiral bound manuals may also contain laminated pages to prevent them from being damaged in contact with water or mud.
Step 4. Build a template for your manual
Many writing and publishing programs offer the possibility of creating a template document for your user manual, so that when you write, the text automatically appears in the desired font within the portion of the manual you are working on (this article in fact, it was initially written using an MS Word template). Many of these programs also include a number of preset templates that you can modify as needed, instead of creating a template from scratch.
